FICO credit scores are changing, which may be a benefit or a detriment if you plan to refinance your mortgage or buy a home. Some borrowers could see credit scores change by up to 20 points. Here are 5 new credit score factors:

1. Amount of Available Credit

The ratio of account balance to the amount of credit available appears to have more influence on the credit score formula. The less credit available that a borrower has on credit cards, the lower the score would be. More available credit would mean a better score. This change could have a broad impact on credit scores used by mortgage lenders to qualifying borrowers, if credit card issuers implement more cuts on their maximum limits. A borrower’s credit score may drop if the available credit limit is reduced, whether an account has a balance or not.

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